What's new in LinkCAD 5.5 ?

Added polygon de-embedding tool to automatically create "holes" from overlapping areas
Added new command-line option LcSelectTopCell to automatically select a top cell.
Top cells may now be selected in batch conversion mode.
Added new command-line option LcApplyLayerMap to automatically apply a layer map.
Layer maps may now be used in batch conversion mode.
New right-click menu in the layer list lets you merge selected layers.
The new EDIT Option lets you select entities in a cell and then unite, subtract or intersect them.
Currently, only entities in the current main cell () can be edited. To make the cell the current main cell, click on its icon () in the cell tree. Then select a few entities in the Viewer pane and execute the desired operation from the Edit menu.

New features in LinkCAD 5.4:

Polygons can now be exported as DXF REGION entities. Holes in re-entrant polygons are automatically detected and converted to true holes in the exported REGIONs.
The new experimental ACIS SAT import extracts plane surfaces from 3D models in this format.

A new raster image import filter let's you import image files in various formats (GIF, JPEG, TIFF, ...). The perfect tool to place your company logo onto a wafer or a PCB !

LinkCAD now reads DXF REGION entities. Even REGIONs with holes are automatically converted to the corresponding polygon.
LinkCAD's Postscript import has been improved and now supports eofilled subpaths (polygons with holes). LinkCAD also optionally simulates holes generated by overprinting with white drawing objects.
The stability of the various Tools commands has been improved.

We added a new "Merge Overlapping Polygons" command to the Tools menu. Use this tool to clean up overlapping areas in your drawing:
Right-click on a cell in the "cell tree", and select "Explode cell and child cells" to selectively flatten part of your drawing.
The Viewer has been improved to draw object contours in the filled drawing mode.

LinkCAD supports PostScript import using the external tools pstoedit and Ghostscript (installed on demand).

LinkCAD loads RS-274D Gerber files with Protel aperture files. More aperture formats will be available in the next update.

Exports AutoCAD® 2000 DXF files.
Middle button panning, mouse wheel zooming and right-click context menu in LinkCAD View.
Toggle all layers with a single click on the "bulb" icon in the layer list's header.
Improved CIF text import.

Help : The documentation has been further improved, and a new help button provides direct access to the relevant topic.
SPLINEs : DXF SPLINEs are now supported.
Gerber : It is now possible to specify the maximum size for apertures when exporting to Gerber RS-274X.
Tolerances : New settings allow the precision of arc/circle/spline to polyline conversions to be controlled by either specifying the maximum allowable error or the number of vertices per full circle.
PostScript: Added option to ignore the layer color and export monochrome PostScript files.
Faster Array Drawing: A new command instructs LinkCAD View to draw only the outmost rows & columns of arrays .
Display Depth : A new "Level" control allows you to limit the display of cell hierarchies to a certain depth.
Faster Display : LinkCAD View is even faster in this new release !

Gerber import : LinkCAD 4.4 adds Gerber RS-274X importing.
Text: LinkCAD now supports text labels for all File Formats. Text can be rotated and mirrored, and even complex alignment of DXF MTEXT entities is correctly translated. For formats that do not support text objects, the text blocks are exploded into polylines. LinkCAD 4.4 supports AutoCAD compatible .SHX fonts.
DXF Release 14 and Binary DXF export: LinkCAD now optionally exports DXF Release 14 files, which significantly reduces file size for large databases containing many polylines. For further size reduction, LinkCAD also exports Binary DXF.
"Remote control": LinkCAD can be "remote controlled" using command files. See the Customization Guide for details.

Sub-cell export: sub-cells can now be viewed and exported individually. Simply click on a cell's icon to select it.
Variable-width polylines: DXF variable width polylines are now converted to equivalent polygon outlines.
DXF grid to GDSII user units translation: if the DXF file specifies a drawing grid, it will be used to set the GDSII user units, and vice versa.

LinkCAD View add-on: a complete high-performance CAD viewer has been integrated into LinkCAD. Sold separately, LinkCAD View lets you inspect and measure the CAD files, and assists you in repairing open zero-width polylines.
GDS-TXT add-on: the optional GDS-TXT add-on allows users to read and write this text-based format. GDS-TXT files can be opened and edited in any text editor.